German Amazon employees went on strike on Monday in a long-running pay dispute with the internet retailer.
Employees of two Amazon distribution centres in Leipzig and Bad Hersfeld(Bag Rack) stopped work in the latest in a series of strikes co-ordinated by the Verdi union. Workers are demanding a collective wage agreement to meet pay standards in the German retail sector.
"We can't rule out further strikes over the next weeks," Verdi spokeswoman Christiane Scheller told the Guardian. The union is talking to employees at eight further centres across the country, where the higher(Hat Display) number of workers on temporary contracts meant fewer were prepared to go on strike, she said.
"We are informing the other employees about what their colleagues in Leipzig and Bad Hersfeld are doing and why," said Scheller. "The conditions are very similar at the other centres(Wallet Display) and I imagine things will continue to develop there too."
"Whether it comes to further strikes during the upcoming Christmas period lies entirely in Amazon's hands," said Verdi union secretary Mechthild Middecke in a statement. "The second Amazon agrees to negotiations, we'll sit down at the table."
"A lot is demanded of the employees [at Christmas], including overtime and weekend work. That's where it becomes even more apparent when the relationship between work done and pay is not right," she added.(Arylic Photo Frame)
Since the launch of the sporadic industrial action this summer, the union has celebrated only one small victory over Amazon, when the company agreed to pay one-off Christmas bonuses to long-term staff of up to £500 each.
Yet Amazon has confirmed it will soon be opening three new distribution centres in Poland, leaving German employees nervous that their jobs will(Wire Display) go to Polish workers across the border if industrial action continues to disrupt business.
Verdi says the company, which was unavailable for comment on Monday, is unwilling to enter wage talks aimed at hammering out a deal. Head of Amazon Germany Ralf Kleber told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper(Newspaper Display) he would not be seeking to negotiate. "Why should we start wage negotiations?" said Kleber. "Amazon already pays [workers] above average for the logistics sector and we are in a direct dialogue with our workers – we don't need Verdi for that."
The union said it will not let up pressure on the global internet giant, with the vital Christmas trade period looming. "We're prepared to continue this wage fight over a long period," said Bernhard Schiederig of Verdi's Hesse branch. "[Amazon] cannot expect any peace until we've set up a wage agreement."
